Tip: Take a Free Walking Tour to Explore a New City - The Points Guy (2024)

FAQs

How much do you tip for free walking tour? ›

How much should you tip? It depends on the length of the tour, how other people are on the tour and and how satisfied you are after the tour, but it's common to tip anywhere from $5-$20 per person.

We recommend tipping at least $20 per person, although we liked our tours so much that we ended up paying $30 ($60 for we two) for two of the free NYC walking tours we did.

How much should I tip for a free walking tour in Prague? We leave the decision how much you wish to pay for the tour at end to our guests. However, if you can afford it and you really liked the tour, we recommend an equivalent of 8-10 euros per person.

If you are new to the concept of free walking tours, these tours are not actually free. You simply get to determine how much you want to tip the guide at the end of the tour. Sometimes the guides earn only from whatever tips they receive from the tour attendees, so be generous if you really enjoyed it.

About.com has a Tipping Guide for travelers that further suggests that the tour guide should receive a tip of 10% to 20% of the tour cost. As a last thought, the guide still needs to earn his or her tip. Just with any other profession, the tip should match the level of service. "

Most etiquette experts suggest a tip of 10-20% of the cost of a tour for outdoor guides like ours. A typical gratuity on a full-day tour is $20-$40 per person, and on a half-day trip, $15-$20 per guest. Exceptional service often earns more: Did they go out of their way to show you something you're interested in?

Typically, the gratuity rate for guides should be around 10 to 20 percent of the total trip cost.

Tokyo Free Walking Tours guides are all volunteers, so please tip – 500-1,000 yen per person, plus treat them to lunch. Tipping is not common in Japan, but I have found the free tour guides do accept tips. I recommend placing the tip in a small envelope and just handing them the envelope, not naked cash.

How much to tip on free walking tours? On most free tours, €10 is considered a decent tip. Sometimes you will feel you want to tip more than that, so do. If you're on a tight budget, you might tip €5 and I've seen people who apologised while doing that, but the guides have always been very graceful about it.

How much do you tip for free walking tour in Granada? ›

A guest on the FREE Tour is welcome to tip as much or as little as they feel the tour was worth and does not have to commit to paying anything more than they want to pay, so if they don't enjoy the product, they have nothing to lose.

Tipping your tour guide shows is a common sign of appreciation. In European nations, you should aim to award your tour guide anywhere between 5% and 15% of the price you pay (per person), with the higher spectrum of the tip reserved for an exceptional service!

The Free Walking Tour is much more informal than a conventional Walking Tour: there is no need to book in advance (although advisable to secure your place in very popular destinations), there is no cancellation fee and there is also no fixed price. Tour payment is based on tips.

Walking tour businesses make money from ticket sales and gratuities. Traditionally, ticket sales accounted for most business revenue and gratuities went directly to guides. As more people start their own tour businesses, a few are experimenting with a “free” model.

Most tour guides do not expect tips, but they do appreciate them. If a guide is working through a booking service they are probably making minimum wage and tips are a huge bonus.

Generally, it's appropriate to tip your private guide $10-$15 per day and another $5-$10 for drivers. For large group tours, you'd tip half of that.

Like any member of the service industry, Tour Directors, bus drivers and local guides depend on tips to make a living. Program Leaders are advised to collect tip money from each participant at the beginning of the tour to avoid confusion and lack of money at the end of the tour.

Should we tip our guide? No, there's no need to leave a gratuity. All of our guides have set fair prices for their tours that mean they aren't relying on tips for their income.

Do You Have to Tip Movers? Tipping your movers is not required, but it is highly encouraged. A tip shows the movers that they did a great job during the process.

Do you tip the car service guy? ›

So providing a cash tip to a car mechanic, plumber, car wash attendant or waitress is a nice gesture. Like with a mover, if you've received great service and extra effort, gratuity is in order. Tipping is not obligatory, but if you feel it's correct, don't hesitate to show your appreciation.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association suggests leaving a $1-to-$5 tip per day for the housekeeping staff. The tipping range is helpful when estimating your trip budget, but how much you should ultimately tip depends on a few factors (more on this later).

We recommend the local currency equivalent of $4 - $6 per person in your group. You can certainly tip more at your discretion.

Tour Guide: 15-20% of the per person ticket price – what did you think we'd say?! Tour guides work hard.

1) Travel Slow

Whenever somebody asks what our number one travel tip is, we always reply with the same bit of advice – slow down. It's totally normal to try and fit in as many exciting destinations and incredible activities as possible when you're on vacation.

Like most other service providers, tour guides depend on tips. Generally, a 15-20% guideline applies, though tipping in these situations should also reflect the size of the tour group, as well as the length of the tour.

Tipping is a personal matter, and there are no hard and fast rules. I canvassed TPG's cruise team and we agreed that we give roughly $5 to $10 per person for half-day tours and $10 to $20 per person for full-day excursions, adjusted for service and quality. Tip non-guide drivers roughly $2 per person in your party.

You aren't obligated to tip your tour guide or driver. However, because they work in the tourism sector tipping is more common than it is in other sectors. There are no fixed rules on this but people tend to tip between €5-10 for a half day and €10-20 for a full day.

Tipping in Japan is not expected, and attempts to leave a tip will almost certainly be turned down (a potentially awkward moment). In Japan, it's thought that by dining out or drinking at a bar, you are already paying the establishment for good service.

Staff in hotels and spas do not expect tips, if you do your tip may or may not be refused. Don't be offended if your tip is refused, it is simply a part of Japanese culture. If you absolutely have to tip then put the money in an envelope and leave it behind in your room.

How much do you tip for free walking tour Barcelona? ›

It is one of the doubts that can be have the walker at the time of giving the tip. There is no fixed price per walker when paying the local guide as some give between € 5 and € 15, another € 20-30 or some even € 50. The usual average in this type of tips is usually around 10 euros.

While there is no specified price for free walking tours in Florence, it's always good to have an idea of how much other travelers tip. Most people offer around €10 or €15 per person. Some have given just €5 while others fork out €50 for particularly memorable experiences.

However, the company is actually a marketing agency, and they charge for every lead, they charge for every person who showed up on that tour. And the charge will vary. It's usually somewhere in kind of the like in Australian dollars, like $3 to $6 range. So you can convert that to whatever currency you like.

In Spain, tipping is entirely optional and it's not very common. You may see people leaving small change at cafés and bars and, eventually, someone tipping at a nice expensive restaurant. But most of the time, you won't see anyone other than tourists leaving a tip.

You don't need to tip for counter service.

Visit the Wallet section via your FREE NOW app Profile, and you can set a default tip of 10%, 15%, or 20%.

Legally it's voluntary but if you slink out of a restaurant without leaving a gratuity of between 15 and 25 per cent, you're likely to be chased by a waiter demanding to know why. To help you avoid tipping anxiety (and disgruntled waitstaff), we explain how to tip in the United States.

Here's a tip: Don't stress over tipping. While tips are appreciated no matter where you travel, tipping in Europe isn't as automatic nor as generous as it is in the US, and in many countries, tips aren't expected at all.

The notion of tipping people for their performance in serving others is an archaic practice and it's time this country puts an end to it. This tradition was actually born in the 19th century when Americans abroad brought back to home soil the European idea of tipping employees to reward them for doing good jobs.

Interestingly, most walking tours tend to be advertisted as approximately two hours. It's a great idea to include plenty of breaks — otherwise people would just go to the gym to get their exercise!

How long does the walking tour last? ›

A walking tour is generally distinguished from an escorted tour by its length and the employment of tour guides, and can be under 12 hours, or last for a week or more.

Walking tours, including self-guided walks, are enjoying a resurgence in popularity, attracting ever more travelers interested in exploring their destination in a slow, no-tech fashion: on foot.

Tickets types

Seniors aged 65+ can verify their right to receive the free age-based fare/tariff through any form of ID card or a passport.

In Prague, you are not required to tip when you receive a service. However, if you tip a tour guide in Prague, the tip should reflect the quality of service. A rule of thumb is to round off to the nearest hundred or at least 5% of your total bill.

Prague has an epic history that has produced a city full of beauty, stunning Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque era buildings, and majestic squares. To really see this amazing city, it's best to plan to visit for four to five days. This will allow you to see all the main sites and get a sense of the city's culture.

How much should you tip? It depends on the length of the tour, how other people are on the tour and and how satisfied you are after the tour, but it's common to tip anywhere from $5-$20 per person.

Tour guiding is one of the few gigs where you can get paid to walk without certificates, insurance or experience – although all of these can help if you want to make a living from it.

Tipping a Tour Guide in Mexico

10-20% of the tour cost is a typical range for a tip.

Depending on your route and length, tipping can differ. For a large vehicle carrying multiple people, $2-$3 should suffice. For drivers spending the majority of the day with you, as is the case with a limo or moving between airports, hotels, and events, 10 to 15 percent of the total bill is custom.

How much do you tip an airport taxi? ›

Transportation Tipping

Cab driver: 15 percent to 20 percent tip of the fare. (Find out ahead of time if your cabbie accepts a credit card. If he or she doesn't, make sure you have enough cash for both fare and tip.)

There's no standard for tipping your airport parking shuttle driver. However, it's always kind to offer something to shuttle drivers. They work long hours driving frustrated travelers back and forth from parking to terminals. Rain or shine, heat or cold, they help people get where they need to be.

The Free Walking Tour is much more informal than a conventional Walking Tour: there is no need to book in advance (although advisable to secure your place in very popular destinations), there is no cancellation fee and there is also no fixed price. Tour payment is based on tips.

How much to tip on free walking tours? On most free tours, €10 is considered a decent tip. Sometimes you will feel you want to tip more than that, so do. If you're on a tight budget, you might tip €5 and I've seen people who apologised while doing that, but the guides have always been very graceful about it.

In most tourist areas in Mexico, it is acceptable to tip in either pesos or dollars, though pesos are more practical for the person being tipped. If you do tip in dollars, be sure to only tip using notes and not coins as coins cannot be exchanged.

For a day-tour, or one that only lasts a few hours, it is appropriate to tip your guide 10 percent to 20 percent of the total cost of the tour. For multi-day group tours, tip the tour leader a minimum of 60 to 100 pesos per day. For a private tour, you should tip 200 pesos per day.

For private tours where you and your travel partner(s) are the only clients, you should tip 10–15 euros for a half-day tour and 15–25 euros for a full day (total, not per person).

If your driver exceeds your expectations, tipping 10% of your final fare is a great way to thank them. Many drivers charge a luggage fee, so no need to tip for bags. Airport shuttle service is not typically tipped.